KTK-Nutrition

Feeling tired?   Could a lack of the mineral magnesium be the problem?   Most people know we need iron our diets and “iron poor blood” or iron deficiency anemia can lead one to feel tired.   But magnesium is also an important mineral for many reasons, one of which is energy.   An article in Environment Nutrition noted that not having enough of the essential mineral, magnesium, can lead to feeling tired or fatigued.    More Americans are low in magnesium, why?   Many of us are eating more processed food like white bread, white rice, white pasta, and Pop Tarts.   When they refine the grain to make white flour, white rice, etc., they remove most of the magnesium. Because of all the processed food we eat, they estimate we are getting only about 50% of the magnesium our bodies need each day.   The Recommended Dietary Allowance for magnesium is 310-320 mg per day for women and 410-420 mg per day for men.    Why do we need ma...

Whenever one hears about bacteria, they think disease or illness.   But there are actually bacteria that are good for your health.   As WebMD notes , probiotics are live bacteria that are good for you, especially your digestive system.   This week in the nutrition class I teach, we are learning about probiotics and another term not often heard, prebiotics .    What are Probiotics? These are the “good” bacteria and these good bacteria help keep you and your gut healthy.   You have “good” and “bad” bacteria in your gut and when you eat foods with “probiotics” or good bacteria, you change your gut to have more good than bad bacteria.   A healthy thing to do.   There are many “probiotics” as there are many different types of bacteria.   Usually in foods like yogurt you will see on the label: Lactobillus – this is a probiotic commonly added to foods like yogurt.   Interesting that these bacteria digests some lactose, the natural ...

Who hasn’t heard the recommendation that we all should drink 8 glasses of water a day?   Yes, drinking water is good for our health.   Water is actually a nutrient we need every day.   How much water?   The Institute of Medicine recommends women consume about 91 ounces of water a day (about 11.3 cups) from food and beverages and men consume 125 ounces a day (about 15.6 cups) from food and beverages.   Thus, not just water counts but all liquids like coffee, milk, tea, juice and the many foods that contribute water.    Many people don’t think of foods as hydrating, but foods like watermelon are up to 90% water so do contribute water to our daily needs.   In fact, the Institute of Medicine notes , “About 80 percent of people’s total water comes from drinking water and beverages – including caffeinated beverages- and the other 20 percent is derived from food.”   Thus, the Institute doesn’t recommend hydration in terms of the number of glasses ...

Most people say they want to “eat healthier” but then are puzzled by all the advertisements and bogus health claims.   Some of us substitute one food for another and think we are making healthier choices.   What are some food swaps that can fool us into thinking we are eating healthier?       1. . Granola vs. a sugary cereal – Granola can be a healthy choice if you make it yourself or choose wisely by reading the calories per serving and ingredients.   However, many granola mixes are very high in added sugars.   And watch the serving sizes.   Many times, the serving sizes for granola is a mere ¼ to ½ a cup.   Much less than the 1 cup cereal serving size.   By eating more than the ¼ to ½ cup serving of granola, you can easily eat an extra 300 calories.   Fine for an athlete in training but not so fine for a person wanting to lose or maintain their weight.   If you enjoy granola – it can be a healthy choice as mos...

Sports – so fun to have your kids play a sport.   Last week we noted that sports not only require skill but also fuel.   We noted how important it is to stay hydrated and how important carbs are to an athlete as carbs fuel the body.   What about maintaining weight?   Many teenagers lose weight when participating in sports as they not only need calories because they are growing, they need calories to fuel their sports activity.   A local basketball coach was alarmed when one of his players kept losing weight and lost 11 pounds over the basketball season.   And this was 11 pounds the teenager didn’t want to lose.   What are some ways an athlete can maintain their weight and muscle mass while playing sports?   What are some nutrition goals student athletes should focus on to “ eat better, play better ”? 1.        Maintaining Weight – Not surprising, maintaining weight involves calories.   Athletes, especially g...

Are you or your kids playing some sports this coming school year?  Will they be playing football , playing basketball or soccer?   Sports require not only skill but fuel – healthy nutrition to have energy for the game.   There is a lot of information on nutrition but what is reliable and what isn’t?   How important is just drinking enough water to performance?   What about salt and other electrolytes?   What should student athletes eat before games?   How can a student athlete prevent losing weight during the sports season?   I’ve known student athletes that struggle to maintain their weight during the sports season.   This week I was advising a coach on nutrition for students playing football but most of the same advice applies to students playing basketball or soccer.   In the next few weeks we will focus on sports nutrition.    What are some nutrition goals student athletes should focus on?  1.   ...